Qiao Paolisen

Joe Paulson is one of Haven’s two mail carriers and part of the town’s small postal staff. His concealed affair with Nancy Voss, his growing confidence as a gambler, and his intention to leave his wife are abruptly ended when the television bearing a religious image electrocutes him. His death turns an ordinary household object into both an instrument of punishment and a witness to the secrets he tried to keep.

Identity and Household

Joe is married to 'Becka Paulson, who already knows of his infidelity by the time the episode is recounted. The couple’s home includes a Sony television topped by a lifelike three-dimensional portrait of Jesus, a wedding present from 'Becka’s sister. Joe had objected to the picture and, on the one Thursday each month when he hosted poker-playing friends, allowed it to be turned around. 'Becka interprets his wish to remove or conceal it as evidence that he sensed it might reveal his conduct.

Affair and Plans to Leave

Joe’s affair with Nancy Voss is connected to changes in his marriage: 'Becka notices that he has stopped pursuing her sexually and has sometimes come home with perfume on his collar. The timing coincides with Nancy’s arrival at the post office, where she replaces a retiring employee. Joe’s own thoughts confirm the affair and his expectation that it will continue; he looks forward to seeing Nancy again and imagines a future with her.

His plans are tied to gambling. Joe has recently won almost five hundred dollars betting on baseball, keeping the money hidden from 'Becka. He is confident in his ability to predict winners, though leaving Haven gives him headaches. He considers placing bets elsewhere if his Augusta contact stops accepting them. With enough money, he thinks, he and Nancy could leave, while 'Becka remained with the religious image he believes she prefers to him.

Death and Exposure

The television image begins speaking on July 7, and Jesus tells 'Becka about Joe’s affair. Joe does not know that his secret has been exposed. Shortly before his death, he dismisses her unusual behavior and answers her in a way that becomes his final conversation with her.

Joe then turns on the Sony. A lethal electrical current strikes him, and his hand remains on the power button. As he dies, the television displays baseball footage associated with one of his successful bets, then shifts to an image of Joe and Nancy together at the post office. The scene makes the television more than the household object Joe had treated as an inconvenience: it reveals the affair directly and ends his attempt to keep his domestic and private lives separate.

Narrative Significance

Joe’s story links concealed betrayal with the uncanny disclosure that has entered Haven. His secret is first made known to 'Becka through a sacred image on an everyday television; the same set then becomes the immediate cause of his death and the medium through which his affair is exposed. His confidence in money, prediction, and escape offers no protection against that reversal: the screen that entertained him and carried his winnings’ story becomes the final record of what he had hidden.